A. Elahi, MD, Neurospa Brain Rejuvenation Centers, Corona Del Mar, CA

Early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a rare form of AD defined by signs and symptoms before age 65. Several studies have shown high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to be an effective treatment for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD when applied to the left and/or right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), with clear improvements on standardized assessments of cognitive function.

We recently published a case report of a 44-year-old patient with clinical and laboratory characteristics of definite early-onset AD in which rTMS led to marked cognitive improvements in multiple cognitive domains on the NeuroTrax assessment. Overall change from baseline was 18.1%, with improvement in verbal function, executive function, memory, working memory, and attention. Interestingly, there was no change on NeuroTrax’s problem solving test, which has been used as a measure of premorbid IQ. We hope these findings spark clinical interest in exploring rTMS for the treatment of dementia.

Full text (open access):
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2467981X23000197

Citation:
Elahi, A., and Frechette, T. (2023). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease – a case report. Clinical Neurophysiology Practice, 8, 161–163. PMID: 37588010